Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Loyal Homer.
Notre Dame is a special program, and the world of college football exists to accommodate it. As a top-drawing independent school, Notre Dame has garnered unique privileges that are available to no other program in the United States. Those privileges, however, will hold only as long as Notre Dame REMAINS independent in status.
As one of the games most storied and beloved programs, Notre Dame is synonymous with college football. When the Fighting Irish are successful, so is college football. And, although success was lacking during most of the Weis era, the world of college football has ensured safeguards to help Notre Dame always return to relevance.
The first of those safeguards is an exclusive television contract with NBC. Through at least the 2015 football season, Notre Dame is guaranteed that every one of their home games will be broadcast on national television. This contract has brought the school more than $9M per year, and has generated more than $26M in financial aid and scholarships for students of the university. All of that would be gone, though, if Notre Dame joined a conference like the Big Ten or the Big East.
Notre Dame only gets to keep that television contract because they are not a part of a larger Conference of schools. Many of the major Conferences have either negotiated their own exclusive television contracts with networks, or have created their own network, and the Notre Dame contract would create a conflict of interest. While NBC would retain the rights to Notre Dame’s broadcast, the conference would also retain rights to broadcast the games of any schools within their organization. Unfortunately for Notre Dame and NBC, it would be the conference that wins out, as it would govern the organization for the school.
The second safeguard is a special BCS clause specific to Notre Dame.
Rules for determining an automatic BCS qualification state that only those schools which have won one of the six BCS conferences (the Big Ten, Big XII, SEC, ACC, Big East, and Pac-10) can be guaranteed a BCS invitation. For every other school in the country (including the remaining schools within those BCS conferences), they must hope for an invitation. Every school, that is, EXCEPT Notre Dame.
Within the BCS rules for automatic qualification is an exception EXCLUSIVELY reserved for Notre Dame as long as it remains an independent football program. This exception dictates that Notre Dame is eligible for an AUTOMATIC BCS bid if it finishes the regular season as one of the top eight teams in the BCS standings. No other school in the country (including members of the BCS conferences) has that guarantee.
In 2008, the Big XII’s Texas Tech finished the season ranked seventh in the final BCS standings, and held a record of 11-1 (with the only loss coming to the top-ranked team in the nation). But the Red Reaiders were excluded from the BCS. Likewise, in 2007 it was the Big XII’s Missouri that missed out despite being the top-ranked team entering conference championship week, and finishing the season ranked SIXTH in the BCS, while conference rival Kansas was invited to the Orange Bowl after finishing the season ranked two spots LOWER than Missouri.
Those are only the two most recent examples of what is an almost ANNUAL snub for at least one team in the top BCS standings. As long as Notre Dame remains an Independent program, though, it will never have to worry about a BCS snub. For the Fighting Irish, a top-eight finish EQUALS a conference championship.
The decision for Notre Dame is simple – remain independent and GUARANTEE a highly lucrative television contract and a special exemption within the BCS rules, or willingly throw those GIFTS away by joining a conference such as the Big East or Big Ten, where instead of having special privileges RESERVED for it, Notre Dame would have to COMPETE for them and risk the snub of losing that competition.
As long as those rights are reserved exclusively for the University of Notre Dame, it would be FOOLISH to willingly give them up in order to join conference play.
This is interesting. I forgot how much money the remaining schools could make from the penatly fees. The remaining 5 schools could try to broker a football alliance with the Big East but remain the Big 12 in name.
Officials from five Big 12 schools — Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor — held a conference call on Saturday, The Kansas City Star reported. The schools agreed they would like to continue as members of the Big 12.
The five potential teams that could be left in the Big 12 if the exodus of five others continues to the Pac-10 would be wise to remain together, a conference commissioner with experience dealing with expansion told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.
The reason is simple: The five remaining schools would be due a huge payday and ultimately could salvage automatic berths to the NCAA tournament and possibly the BCS through expansion themselves.
The commissioner, who didn’t want to be identified because he’s involved in the ongoing realignment of college athletics, told Katz it would be critical for Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor and Iowa State to maintain the Big 12 as an entity or corporation.
“The assets, the amount of money that they would be due by exit fees back to the corporation would be huge,” said the commissioner. “Rather than dissolve the Big 12, they are better off as a Big 12 entity then moving to the Mountain West.”
Taken from:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5282178
The Big 12 has 10 schools, the Big 10 has 12 – Perfect, I had a hard enough time explaining to my girlfriend why it made sense the Big 10 had 11 schools.
Did you explain to her how the A-10 has 14 teams?